Blast at Kabul Hotel in Secure District Causes Multiple Casualties

A blast at a hotel in Kabul's Shahr-e-Naw district, a commercial and diplomatic area considered one of the city's most secure, killed and injured several people on January 19, 2026. Officials, including Taliban Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani and Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran, confirmed casualties but did not specify numbers or the cause. The attack reportedly affected Chinese nationals, though no group has claimed responsibility. Despite Taliban control since 2021, attacks by ISIL affiliates persist in Afghanistan.